THE BIBLICAL CHURCH: PART 3

So I have been pondering the best way to conclude this series for several weeks now. I have come to the conclusion that the best way to do this is by taking a hard look at the fundamental beliefs of the first Church. What did Christ’s Church believe before it got torn apart by denominational separations? Who were they without the conflict that has most definitely been placed within the Church by Satan? After all, wasn’t satan the very first separation from God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. Ezekiel 28:13-9

Didn’t he choose to move outside of unity with God in order to seek his own prideful purpose? Now he continues this pattern of disaccord by breaking the Church into pieces fractured by petty arguments of men.

So on we move to Christ’s original Church. They were a people who came from a religion of rules, but who had finally found freedom in the veil that Christ tore when he gave up His spirit (Matthew 27:51). They found grace in the days that followed Christ’s resurrection. They found hope. They found unconditional love, but the one thing they did not find was legalism. Even as legalism surfaced due to rumor, those rumors were quickly shut down and the Church was redirected only and always to the Savior. They were given the example of Christ and directed to believe and mirror Christ in such a way that others would come to believe. This is what the first Church was based on, and this is what the Church should always be based on.

When you enter a church, depending on the church you enter, you are offered up information regarding beliefs, principles, mission statements. Each church is different. Each church statement or covenant will differ from the next. However, when I think about the mission statement of the first church, I can’t help but think that it sounded a bit like the Newsboys song We Believe.

We believe in God the Father!

We believe in Jesus Christ!

We believe in the Holy Spirit!

And He’s given us new life!

We believe in the crucifixtion!

We believe that He conquered death!

We believe in the resurrection!

And He’s comin’ back again, we believe!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!

In the here and now, let love invade!

Let the church live love our God will see We believe, We believe!

And the gates of hell will not prevail!

For the power of God, has torn the vail!

Now we know your love will never fail!

We believe, We believe!

Let this become our anthem. Let this become our measure of faith. Let us look at one another in unity based solely on the only common belief that truly holds any merit. Let us declare as one Church who mirrors the peace of Christ in this chaotic world that “We believe in God the Father! We believe in Jesus Christ! We believe in the Holy Spirit! And he’s given us new life! We believe in the crucifixion! We believe that He conquered death! We believe in the resurrection! And he’s comin’ back again. We believe!” This is the only truth that people absolutely, positively, cannot live without. It is in Christ alone that we are set free and it is in Christ alone that we as a community of believers will find the unity that He intended for His church. I challenge you to make this your personal anthem. I challenge you to take this into your church and make it their anthem. I challenge you to then take it to your community and make it the anthem of every church within a 50 mile radius. Finally, I challenge you to bring together every member of Christ’s church that we might be the most effective tool for bring His love to the ends of the earth.

Check out the companion video on YouTube.

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